


A Flying Paradox

by Dweo



Category: Bernice Summerfield (Big Finish Audio), Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (Big Finish Audio)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-17
Updated: 2013-09-17
Packaged: 2017-12-26 21:09:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/970319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dweo/pseuds/Dweo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dear diary,</p>
<p>I met the Doctor.</p>
<p>Again. </p>
<p>And as usual, things didn't go as planned. So should the world suddenly disappear in a puff of smoke, don't look at me. The paradox wasn't my fault.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Flying Paradox

"Another Hyper-vodka, please." Benny sat down with her back to the bar, and watched the students mill around with their drinks. She loved student-pubs, especially ones that didn't contain her students. 

Okay, technically these might be considered her students, even though she was only a guest-lecturer. But she preferred not to think like that, because the dark, long haired student standing at the end of the bar was very, very cute. She winked at him as he looked at her, and enjoyed the interested look in his eyes. He picked up his drink, and made his way through the little groups of students. 

Unfortunately fate decided to intervene, and just before he could reach her, their flirtation was rudly interrupted by a loud crash and an even louder voice coming from the outside.

"You have to get everybody out." The door opened and she saw the seven foot tall bouncer being pushed aside like he was a Pakhar.

Then she saw him and all she could think of was an oddly dressed rodeo clown, with his bright coloured coat and a rope around his shoulder. The second thing that hit her was the aura of absolute certainty and confidence. This was a man used to getting his way, and who didn't care how he looked while getting it. 

"Everybody, get out. You're all in mortal danger if you don't get out. Now." His words were met by complete and utter silence, before the whole pub burst out in laughter.

The man looked like a small child about to stamp his feet in anger, and just opened his mouth to speak when a loud crash rattled the high, stained glass windows above them. The massive reaction was instantaneously and Benny admired the speed on the cute guy she had been flirting with. She was less impressed with the way he pushed the other students out of the way. She should have known; the cute guys never live up to their looks.

Instead of following the steady stream of screaming students, she, against all logical actions, ran to the man. 

"What’s going?" she asked, as the man pulled her down behind one of the over turned tables. 

"What do you think you’re doing?" The man sounded annoyed, and Benny sort of wondered the same thing, but usually she was the last resort, so her reaction was understandable. Something told her the man beside her would probably not agree with her, though. 

"I'm…" Benny started, but her reply was cut short by a shower of brightly coloured glass and a large, winged creature crashing through the window.

"I hoped the windows would keep him occupied long enough." 

"You did?"

"Old windows, they like old things."

"You do know this building has just been built, don't you?"

"And whose brilliant idea was that?" the man asked, throwing his hands in the air. The movement had drawn the attention of the creature, which moved towards them menacingly. This gave Benny a change to get a good look at the animal. 

"Oh Goddess, is that…" Benny stared at the leather wing a few feet from her.

"Probably not." The man's dismissive tone bristled Benny's feathers. Benny raised her head a bit, to take another good look at the monster.

"That's a Vortisaur." This made the man look up at her, his sharp eyes locked with Benny's 

"That's right. How did you know?" he asked, and for the first time he paid real attention to her 

"I know a vortisaur when I see one, especially one that disrupts my flirting. I'm Benny by the way and who are you?" Deep inside she had a sneaky suspicion she knew, and that she would probably not like it.

"I'm the Doctor." The Doctor managed to puff out his chest, even in the confined space behind the table. 

"Oh, bugger." Benny groaned softly and closed her eyes for a moment. The Doctor meanwhile had turned his attention back to the vortisaur. 

"Why did it have to be him?" She hated paradoxes; they were always so messy. 

"What are you going to do?" Benny decided to make the best of the situation, because dealing with paradoxes was bad enough on a good day, dealing with them while dead was even worst.

"Do you know how to ride?" At those words the Doctor pulled the rope from around him and started to make a lasso with it. 

"Ride? That thing?" The Doctor nodded. "Oh Goddess, you're serious. Don't you have an assistant, companion to help you with that?" Benny looked around for the usual shadow she expected behind the Doctor. 

There was nobody. 

The look in the Doctor's eyes told her enough. It wasn't a look she expected on the Doctor's face, any of them. It wasn't a look she wanted to see on the Doctor's face. It was the look of a man who lost his best friend.

"Bugger," Benny muttered again.

"My, um, companion is back on my ship. She … she's ill. That's why I'm here on New Oxford." He looked lost for a moment, before shaking his head. "But that is neither here nor there. Do you think you can ride the vortisaur?" Benny nodded, and got up behind the Doctor. After all it is only a vortisaur; what could possibly go wrong her mind supplied helpfully.

"Great, would you mind holding my coat?" At that the Doctor handed her his eye sore of a coat. Benny stared at the coat, for a moment wondering why she took him seriously. The vortisaur apparently thought the same thing and kept its eyes firmly on the Doctor now.

With one throw the Doctor managed to get the rope around the vortisaur's neck and with surprising agility he pulled himself on the back of the now protesting animal.

"Here take my hand." The Doctor held out his hand. Benny stared at it for a moment and shrugged her shoulders. Just like old times, the two of them saving the world. She regretted her decision the moment she sat down, because the vortisaur immidiatly tried his best to throw her from his back.

"Calm down, you stupid creature," the Doctor yelled above the screeches and roars. The vortisaur's reaction was to soar into the air vertically. Benny put her arms around the Doctor's waist, wondering where she had put her common sense. Even that thought was rudely driven from her mind as the Doctor regained control and send the creature into a steep dive towards the ground. 

"Turn Left!" Benny yelled, as the Doctor reached a split in the hallway. "Okay, just ignore me," she added as the Doctor turned right into the smaller hallway, and knocked over a few students.

"Sorry, did you say anything?" The Doctor turned around looking at Benny.

"Turn around, you idiot. Watch where you going." At those words the Doctor forced the vortisaur upwards again to avoid colliding with the wall ahead. After that the whole ride turned into a rollercoaster ride from hell.

Benny felt relieved as she saw a flash of blue, tucked away in a corner. Nausea quickly replaced the feeling of relieve as the vortisaur made another stomach turning move in the air. 

The Doctor steered the vortisaur towards the Tardis like he had done it all his life and to Benny's annoyance things became far smoother than the ride had been thus far. It confirmed Benny's suspicion that the Doctor enjoyed the ride a bit too much.

"We need to get him into the Tardis and tie him down," the Doctor yelled to her, "If you take the reins, I'll get down." Benny could only stare at him.

"By Goddess, you're crazy, aren't you? I can't control this beast. I'll get down and tie the ropes while you stay up here." At those words Benny carefully let herself slip down the creature's back, before the Doctor could protest. Benny almost automatically moved to retrieve the Tardis key from its hiding place above the P, but halted her movement abruptly when she realized that she should not know this. She looked ta the Doctor worried he had noticed. But to her relieve the Doctor was far to busy wrestling both the vortisaur and his waistcoat pocket. 

"Here you'll need this." The Doctor threw the key he just extracted from his pocket to her. Her hands shaked, as she opened the Tardis doors. She had missed the Doctor's Tardis. The first thing that she noticed was the whiteness of the console room. She had forgotten how white his Tardis was, but she didn't get much time to marvel as the Doctor followed her inside the Tardis.

"I'll throw you the rope and you tie it to something," The Doctor yelled, before throwing another loop around the Vortisaur’s neck, and throwing it back to Benny who tied it down. The Tardis, for once, decided to be helpful and created some rings for Benny to use. The vortisaur's roars, squawks and squeaks were deafening, but soon they tethered the creature enough for it to not endanger them anymore.

The Doctor slid from the vortisaur’s back, wiped his hands on his trousers, and gave Benny a brilliant smile.

"Thank you, Benny. It was an honour to have your assistance." The Doctor moved to the console, and punched some buttons. It was such a familiar sight that Benny got a stab of homesickness.

"Now, where did you put my coat?"

"Your coat?" Benny raised her eyebrows at the question. 

"Yes, my coat. Don't say you lost it," the Doctor wailed, "How could you?" At these words he stormed out of the Tardis. A bemused Benny shrugged, gave up making sense of this Doctor and followed him. They found his coat undamaged back in the bar, next to Benny's untouched Hyper-vodka. 

The only two undamaged items in the bar.

"Perfect." The Doctor put it on again with a satisfied expression. The feeling she was looking at an oddly dressed rodeo clown returned full force. 

So she did the only thing left to her and drowned the Hyper-vodka in one go.

"And now?"

"Now, I get back to the Tardis. I'd rather not deal with the management. I don't think they'll like me. And as I remember, they are rather fond of corporal punishment." Benny couldn't blame the management if corporal punishment was used. It was the Doctor after all.

"Well, I'll best be going now," the Doctor said awkwardly, as he stood in the doorway of the Tardis five minutes later.

"You're leaving?" Benny asked in spite of herself.

"I am. I'd ask you to join me, but," He made a vague gesture and threw a look towards the door to the rest of the Tardis.

Benny nodded. She knew she couldn't anyway, but being turned down did hurt somehow. The Doctor shook her hand and looked her in the eyes.

"Something tells me this isn't goodbye, Professor Bernice Summerfield." He turned around back into the Tardis and closed the doors before she could react.

Benny stared at the empty spot when a thought hit her.

She had never told him her full name.

"Oh, Bugger!"


End file.
